1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to animal food, especially for dogs and/or cats, with aromatic substances which are identical with those of meat and/or offals of animals and which are extracts from the meat and/or offals of animals, with extracts of vegetables being added additionally.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Like humans, many animals also need a regular supply of liquids to ensure that their organism functions. Thus, dog and cat owners provide dishes with water for their quadruped friends; however, such water is frequently not wanted or not taken in sufficient quantities. Such behavior is by no means surprising if one takes into account that many people would also drink a lot less liquid if their only available beverage were water. A protein drink as a substitute food for pets is known from GB 2 225 206 A, with the ingredients being added in balanced amounts to water as the carrier substance.
Thus, the invention is based on the task of providing a beverage which animals like to drink even in greater amounts and which accordingly ensures a sufficient supply of liquids.
This task is solved according to the invention by the animal food being a beverage for animals based on water and the percentage of the extract of meat and/or offals and/or vegetables amounting, overall, to a maximum of 8% by weight of the beverage.
It is the basic idea of the invention that many petsxe2x80x94especially carnivores, like dogs and cats, particularly like the taste of meat or offals. Thus, the beverage for animals to be provided with the corresponding flavor through aromatic substances which are identical to meat or offals. Especially effective for animals, as well, the meat or offals aroma can be obtained by an extract. If one takes into account that animals, in their food intake, are guidedxe2x80x94like humansxe2x80x94by their sense of taste and thus will frequently ingest those foods whose nutrients they require, it is a major advantage for balanced nutrition ifxe2x80x94together with such food and in addition to the aromatic substancesxe2x80x94the natural nutrients therein will be ingested. Precisely this objective will be most beneficially achieved by aromatic substances obtained from a meat or offals extract and introduced into the beverage according to the invention. Suitable for this is the meat of classical animals for nutrition, such as poultry, pork, beef, lamb, or also fish. Especially suitable offals are the heart, the stomach and the liver of those animals.
Some types of vegetables, especially soy, also contain aromatic substances which are appreciated by dogs or cats. Since, moreover, meat is relatively expensive compared to vegetables, a vegetable extract is to be additionally included. The nutrients contained therein can appropriately supplement those contained in a meat extract.
To provide primarily water to the animal, the percentage of the meat, offals, or vegetable extract is a maximum of 8 percent by weight of the beverage.
Aside from ensuring the ingestion of liquids, the beverage for animals according to the invention can additionally contribute to animal nutrition if it provides minerals, fibers, trace elements or vitamins which can have a beneficial effect even in relatively small amounts. Some of these substances are already contained in extracts from meat, offals or vegetables and thus need not be separately added. In contrast, vitamins can be lost in the manufacturing process so that a corresponding addition of suitable amounts to the beverage is deemed sensible.
Experience has shown that dogs and cats are suspicious of turbid liquids, which are thus frequently refused. For this reason, the beverage for animals according to the invention shall preferably be clear (i.e., transparent or translucent.).
Another object of the invention is a method for the manufacture of a beverage for animals. This comprises that meat, offals or vegetables are boiled in water, thereafter being removed from the water, and the remaining broth to be processed further to a beverage. During the cooking process, aromatic substances and nutrients are extracted from the meat, the offals or the vegetables; after their subsequent removal, said aromatic substances and nutrients remain in the broth to form the basic aroma of the beverage. However, since the energy required for boiling entails considerable costs and is approximately proportional to the amount of water boiled, the meat is preferably cooked with less amount of water and the broth is subsequently diluted with water.
To obtain the intended clear, translucent consistency of the beverage, turbid substances and sediments are extracted from the broth, preferably by filtration, so that they will no longer cause any turbidity in the beverage.
A maximum of 125 g of meat, vegetables or offals are required per liter of beverage to ensure a sufficient character of a beverage. However, this amount can vary greatly, depending on the consistency, especially the surface of the starting materials.
As a rule, a beverage manufactured according to the described method will already have sufficient amounts of protein and trace elements. In contrast, and depending on the area of the beverage""s application, the addition of minerals and fibers or vitamins seems indicated to supplement daily nutritional requirements.